Review: Jump Off Joe Lake Resort, Valley, WA

I spent the weekend (Aug. 8 & 9 2009) at Jump Off Joe Lake Resort, 3290 E. Jump Off Joe Rd., Valley, WA 99181. We camped in Matilda The Motorhome while some friends of ours joined us and camped in their travel trailers. I don't do tent camping.

In my opinion, Jump Off Joe Lake Resort has the potential to be one of the nicest little campgrounds in eastern Washington State. That said it was disappointing to witness how poorly it was managed and maintained.

Here's what I liked:
Shady campsites: The sites were a little tight and not particularly level, but most of them had at least some shade and appeared to have been cleaned between users. There was lots of well maintained grass over where the seasonal campers had their places but not so much for those of us in the transient section. Compared to some campsites I’ve stayed in however, Jump Off Joe’s campsites weren’t that bad.

Full RV hookups: They were positioned and functioned as expected.

Swimming area: Nicely roped off area with a sandy bottom and a diving platform.

Fishing/boat dock: Long with lots of benches and a cleaning station.

Convenience Store: It carried the basic stuff people might need while they are out camping.

Boat, canoe and kayak rentals: Kind of expensive but no more so than other campgrounds I’ve been to.

Moveable fire pits: They looked like sawed-off burn barrels on legs. They worked very well. Firewood was available at the resort store and they even let you borrow little red wagons to haul the wood to your campsite.

Here's what I didn't like:
Fishing/Boat dock: “Wait a minute!” you say. “Didn’t you just tell us you liked the docks?”
I did, but at the same time I was disappointed at how poorly they were maintained. There were lots of piles of dried and fresh piles of duck dung all along the length of the dock. (If you aren't familiar with duck poop, let me warn you that it isn't a little white splotch you can wipe off with a Kleenex.) Some dogs don't dispose of the amount ducks do. Unless you had prior Special Forces training in dodging land mines, there was almost no way that you weren't going to step in the duck doo sooner or later. I understand that ducks and geese are hard to control, but would it have been too much to ask them to take a hose to the dock and benches every now and again? (Shrug?)

Ducks: And speaking of fuzzy little dung droppers, the ducks had set up shop all over the swimming area and the docks. There wasn't even a Do Not Feed The Ducks Cause They Crap All Over The Place! sign posted that the campers could ignore.

Noise: Most campgrounds have so-called quiet hours when everyone is supposed to keep it down. If there was such a rule at Jump Off Joe Lake Resort, it was not enforced. Happy campers – some a little too happy - were up partying hardy till the wee hours. After two nights of whooping and hollering and general mayhem, the people we were camping with (in a tent trailer, poor things) started to resemble creatures from the movie Dawn of the Dead.
Look. I’m no big fan of Noise Police and I am all for being allowed to have good time, but this was ridiculous.
(I wonder if those two loud and intoxicated middle-age women campers next to us ever did go skinny dipping like they announced to the whole campground they were going to?)

Playground Equipment: They had a cool looking playground setup with swings and a slide, but in order to use them, your kid (or the occasional intoxicated camper) had to wade through pools of standing water on the equipment. One of the swings was also hanging by a single chain the entire time we were there.

Pets: There is a rule about keeping pets on a leash that is printed on the resort's price list. It says, “Pets must be kept on leash and clean up after them.” This rule was not enforced. Not only did camper's dogs wander about freely, but pets belonging to the resort staff were allowed to run around unleashed. There was this one Great Dane...
There were also signs posted in the day use area that prohibited dogs, "Beyond this point." Just like the leash rule, those signs were evidently there for show only. I saw dogs of every breed and size roaming through the day use facilities and adjoining swimming area like they owned the place. It’s all kind of surprising too when you consider that the resort charges $2.50 a day – per pet!

Bees: Were everywhere! Buzzzzzzz! In fairness to the resort’s management there were several wasp traps located throughout the campground. Even so, that didn’t stop one happy little buzzer from doing the backstroke in my huckleberry pancake syrup. Damn bug.

So. Would I go camping at Jump Off Joe Lake Resort again? Probably not. While I do think the resort is cute and has potential in a quaint sort of way, the fishing in the small lake is not good enough to make putting up with the poor management and maintenance worth it.

The basic info: Private resort, 22 full hookup sites (water, sewer, electricity), 34 ft. max RV length, 4 cabins and a loft for rent, convenience store, bait, moveable fire pits, pets allowed, playground, boat, paddleboat, & kayak rentals, fishing dock, swimming area (no lifeguard), day use area with covered shelter, picnic tables, daily, weekly, monthly and seasonal rates. 509-937-2133Fish in the lake: trout, bass, and lots of tiny bait-stealing sunfish.